The deal - Blueberries at Pukeawa

The deal

What does it cost and packaging?

You are welcome to bring your own containers to take the berries home in, but bags are provided. But please don't bring tiny containers such as margarine punnets as it becomes a real challenge for us to tip them in without spilling them. Now - a tip from your hosts - Metal containers aren't the best unless you line them with a tea-towel as the metal can get hot and “cook” your berries.

Bonus for industrious pickers - If a picker or family group picks 4 buckets the total price is $80. There are 10 litre buckets (equivalent to 4 little ones) for when we are short of buckets or a picker is "on a mission" and knows they will fill it. But they are harder to tip out into bags so generally we run with 4 little ones.

Some facts about blueberries

Blueberries are a summer fruit that start to appear on supermarket shelves around late November. These are generally sourced from the northern regions of the north island. Our season generally runs from very early January until mid February.

Blueberries are easy to pick as there are no thorns, you don't need a ladder and the fruit doesn't bleed so your clothes are safe. Unlike grapes, the berries don't all ripen at the same time so you need to select the dark blue ripe ones.

You might notice a dusky white substance on the outside of the berries. This is called “bloom”. It's not spray. It's perfectly natural and safe to eat. It's the berry's natural preservative and protects the berry from bacteria and insects. As it also helps to seal in moisture, it keeps the berries fresh for longer. As the berries age or are over-handled, the bloom will disappear. So handle them gently and don't wash them unless you're ready to eat them. Bloom is also present on plums, grapes and some other fruits.